New Slopestyle Contest Idea

Build a creative comp course. Instead of running normal run format, let the athletes ride it all day, and best run wins. Not an edit contest like JOSS but just a best run counts still. Idk. It would be cool if people could throw something ridiculously wild and creative, without the fear that if they didn't put it down right away they were out.

I'm not saying this should take the place of every slope course, but it would be cool if there was an event like that. Companies are starting to build more creative courses, but it seems people are scared to try for some of the more creative lines. I get it, you have a limited practice and then 2 or 3 runs, you have to be somewhat conservative at least in the rails.

I like this, reminds me of the competition at absolut park in Austria. Skiers and snowboarders get three days to lay down their best run and film it. Judges get to watch the edits and decide who wins. Not sure how you could transfer that to a televised audience though...

slush8I like this, reminds me of the competition at absolut park in Austria. Skiers and snowboarders get three days to lay down their best run and film it. Judges get to watch the edits and decide who wins. Not sure how you could transfer that to a televised audience though...

Yeah it might be tough. Could literally just show each run they submit and score it live, like it was a normal slope contest. You watch their run in the same format, as if they were happening back to back, the judges score them. Maybe film their reaction after every run, if they stand their and flash their gear or throw it and run away. Then have the score show up with them, although they can't react to it.

Idk. Maybe it's not doable in that setting but would be cool. I know these guys could ski far more creative than some of the runs they put down. Would be awesome if they had a chance.

Maybe throw that in a box for potential dew tour additions(even though crazy crazy unlikely)

word, that's an important distinction for sure. Def a top to bottom run no cuts would be the only way to give it the slope feel. I'm not saying I want to get rid of traditional contest, but it would be cool for a one off of something different.

Me and one of my friends had an idea for a contest a while back. Get a few groups of skiers and give them the tools to make a bunch of features, then give them 2 days to make the best edit possible. Not sure if this is already been tried but i think it would be sick.

I always thought that if the jumps came first before the rails in a slopestlye course things would get creative. It seems like at a lot of big competitions skiers often just disaster every rail they see to maintain speed for the jumpline (like XGames). If the rails were after the jumps the riders could slowdown to and do more creative tricks in the rail sections.

You could have an X Games freestyle edit competition. Athletes arrive early and have 3 days to film best top to bottom run. Have a live hour long show where each edit is shown and the skier is interviewed afterwards. Why he did this, why he did that, favourite part of course, what were the conditions like etc Scores could come at the end with the top 3 being revealed one at a time for suspense ;) It would be really cool to hear the athletes thoughts on a course and why they chose the tricks they did. It would also give them much needed marketing exposure. This format could be done at a once off event too.

These comps do exist, but they tend to come in the form of invitationals that don't get the exposure that X or Dew Tour do. Think Tanner Hall invitational or B&E.

The big problem is that the budgets for the big events are getting smaller and smaller every year. Financially, it would be tough to rationalize the devotion of an entire day to a men's ski slopestyle comp, instead of cramming men and women's ski slope, men and women's snowboard slope, and couple smaller comps like adaptive or snowmobile into one day. Especially if the longer programming cuts into other sports programming that actually turns a profit, like basketball.

If you're just looking for more creativity, there has to be a change in judging, but that's tricky too, and goes back to the same dead horse we've been beating for years. I think Enthusiast Network is making the right moves to push broadcast-quality creative competition, but they don't have ESPN money to put on crazy long events, and ESPN/Epic doesn't really care about action sports, or at least not outside of the cash cow that is Shaun White. Bishop, go make some phone calls to TEN and tell them print media is dying and instead we want longer comps ;)

You mean a jam format. Iíve done a few comps like that. Bacillus you had about 5 hours to ride a course, and the judges would just score the overall riding and who was the most creative. One comp that I did this at was basically you just hike course as many times as you had juice for.

MLBYou mean a jam format. Iíve done a few comps like that. Bacillus you had about 5 hours to ride a course, and the judges would just score the overall riding and who was the most creative. One comp that I did this at was basically you just hike course as many times as you had juice for.

Similar but different. If you put down tour best run or 2 runs in video then those are you runs. No overall impression, just that run or two.

It could still run like a slopestyle and be scored the same way. Judges would only have to watch that 1 or 2 runs and then judge them each.

ColinBSo Mount Snow Open with a hint of The North Face Open video qualifier?

Cool idea. Not new, but definitely cool.

I looked up the deetz on the carinthia open. Says they have a 2.5 hour jam format qualifier. The thing with that is for most comps you're not getting a stupid amount of runs in. Like the Xgames big air is jam format but you know you're going to get about 5 hits and they are all scored.

What are the details for the North face open. Maybe that's already doing this?

The thing with jam format too, is the judges are there the whole time scoring every run. If you could omit everything else and just submit your best run or two, then get judged on those. If it was televised(which would never happen) could score the runs live as their shown as if they each just happened.

If you can't have fun riding then maybe hit a different comp that's more serious?

You wouldn't have to ride all day. You could do 1 run, stomp your most creative/banger run and head to the bar. Also the big comps have at least one practice session. Could just ditch that and roll it all out one day if people are too tired. 1 day to se, it, test it, find some creative lines, and land 1 clean run.

Also nobody would be watching so you could ride for a couple hours, stop for an hour or so and go back out or do whatever. Literally nobody is watching anything other than the run you'll submit later. There are no judges, spectators, etc watching anything as it happens.

SuckMySkisI was always wondering what would come up if you'd combine halfpipe slopestyle and cross (maybe even racing if ya want?) So basically everything would count time and style

That could be cool. They'd have to score the pipe big so nobody tucked down the middle. They had some speed and style cross things but I don't think it really caught on.

Def seeing more berms and stuff make their way into parks so SS and cross wouldn't be too hard and it gaining more popularity. Even if they took out the speed and just added some berms in a SS course would be pretty rad. MAke a few rad drifty turns in between rails.

Mammoth had a cool head to head race a few years ago that had rails and small jumps. I'll try and find a pic.

I'm not sure if it would be possible but I'd love a Redbull Rampage style event. A mountain is chosen and a few very large gaps/jumps are professionally made littered throughout it. It's then up to the riders to build their own features to create a line down the mountain, linking into the set features if they want or just using their own features. Riders would be judged on difficulty of line, speed down line, tricks pulled, creativity etc.

Grab a few people from slope and a few from the freeride world tour so the runs are mixed. Slope people dubbing off cliffs a la Henrik and then the FWT guys charging down. Would be so sick

captainslackI'm not sure if it would be possible but I'd love a Redbull Rampage style event. A mountain is chosen and a few very large gaps/jumps are professionally made littered throughout it. It's then up to the riders to build their own features to create a line down the mountain, linking into the set features if they want or just using their own features. Riders would be judged on difficulty of line, speed down line, tricks pulled, creativity etc.

Grab a few people from slope and a few from the freeride world tour so the runs are mixed. Slope people dubbing off cliffs a la Henrik and then the FWT guys charging down. Would be so sick